A caster wheel assembly provides support and mobility for furniture and other articles such as storage boxes, file cabinets, book shelves, etc. It is believed that a typical caster wheel assembly includes a mounting plate having a pair of downwardly extending legs which are designed to rotatably support a caster wheel on an axle. The mounting plate is attached to the bottom of the article by (1) inserting a pintle or stem projecting upwardly from the mounting plate into a socket structure formed in the bottom surface of the article; or (2) attaching the mounting plate adjacent the bottom of the article by inserting conventional fasteners (e.g., screws, bolts, nails) through apertures in the plate and then tightening the fasteners down against the bottom surface of the article.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,068,342; 4,196,493; 4,262,871; and 4,129,921 illustrate caster wheel assemblies wherein a pintle or caster stem is received within a mounting socket formed in the bottom of the article. Additionally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,675,269 and 4,316,305 illustrate caster wheel assemblies wherein apertures formed in a mounting plate are designed to receive fasteners for coupling the plate adjacent the bottom surface of an article.
Although the above-noted caster wheel assemblies are useful for providing support and mobility for articles, the mounting plate must be secured to the article by e.g., drilling or forming a socket structure in the bottom surface of the article; or alternatively, forcing a fastener e.g., a screw, bolt or nail, into the bottom surface of the article. In other words, the integrity of the bottom surface of the article is compromised in order to attach the caster wheel assembly. Accordingly, the bottom surface of the article must have sufficient rigidity, density and depth to support the socket structure and/or fasteners. Further, if the socket structure for the pintle or stem becomes damaged, or the holes formed by the screws or bolts become thread-bare, it can become substantially more difficult to attach the caster wheel assembly to the article.